For more detailed information on feats, see the Rules section in Vampire: The Masquerade rulebook pages 223-63.
Role-Playing Game Feats
To see if your character accomplishes a challenging feat, you add the dots your character has for two attributes or abilities and roll that many 10-sided dice. The GM sets the difficulty level, usually between 6-10 and you count the number of successes you roll. 10s (represented as 0s on the dice) mean you've done very well; 1s mean you've botched it. Botches cancel out successes, and if you're left with more botches than successes, something bad happens. 10s mean some additional good happened.
For example, your character sees a rusty drainpipe on the side of a building and she wants to use it to climb to the roof. This is relatively difficult given the few hand holds so the GM sets the feat at an 8 difficulty. Climbing is your character's dexterity + athletics. Your character has three dots for dexterity and three dots for athletics. 3 + 3 = 6, so you roll six dice, hoping for high numbers and not wanting low ones.
Example 1: I roll a 8, 3, 5, 10, 6, 2, so that's two successes and no botches. I made it to the top safely and, factoring in the 10, I did it in style!
Example 2: I roll a 1, 7, 5, 4, 6, 8. The botch (1) rules out the success (8) so it didn't happen; my character gets up about 10' and falls to the ground unhurt.
Example 3: I roll a 5, 9, 7, 1, 1, 7. Two botches (1s); one outweighs the single success (9), so we're left with one botch. Not only does the character not climb to the top, but she catches her wrist on a rusty screw and gets a 6" gash on her forearm for her trouble.
In this scenario, the GM probably doesn't want unlimited attempts to scale the building, so the drainpipe would break off from the building after a single try.
Read the below to get a sense for the kind of actions your character might want to perform and the traits used to determine whether you succeed.
Combat Feats
Close Combat: Use Dexterity + Brawl (unarmed) or Dexterity + Melee (armed).
Ranged Combat: Use Dexterity + Firearms (guns) or Dexterity + Athletics (thrown weapons).
Examples of Rolls
This rules system is designed with flexibility in mind, and as a result, there are about 270 combinations of Attributes andAbilities. This daunting number is just the beginning, too - you can certainly devise more Talents, Skills or Knowledges if you think there's need. In this manner, you have a huge variety of rolls to simulate actions-whatever you think is most appropriate. The following examples of rolls are meant to give you some idea of the possibilities that might come up in a game.
- You want to perform a thorough search of a building. Roll Perception + Scavenge (difficulty 7)
- You want to conduct yourself flawlessly at a formal dinner. Roll Dexterity + Etiquette (difficulty 6).
- You try to distract the bodyguard with your left hand while surreptitiously slipping your knife back into your belt with your right. Roll Dexterity + Subterfuge (difficulty of the bodyguard's Perception + Alertness).
- You lock gazes with the gang leader, trying to cow him into submission before his gang - of course, he wants to do the same to you. Make a Charisma + Intimidation roll, resisted by his Charisma + Intimidation.
- You need to board up a door in record speed - and it needs to be durable, too. Roll Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7).
- How long can you remain motionless in the bushes while the guards chat? Roll Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 7). Each success allows you to hold still for one hour.
- Can you distract the guard dogs while you slip in? Roll Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 8).
- Did she just threaten you? Roll Perception + Intimidation (difficulty 5) to figure out what she meant by that comment.
- You try to get his attention by driving your knife through his hand and into the oak bar. Roll Strength + Melee (difficulty 6).
- Does this place have a functioning security system? Roll Perception + Security (difficulty 6).
- You try convincing the clerk of the court that you're an IRS auditor and that you need to see the court records. Roll Manipulation + Finance (difficulty 8).
- You have to keep running if you're going to outdistance your pursuers. Make an extended Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7); if you collect 15 successes, you've outlasted them.
- You need to convince the judge to release you rather than confiscate your possessions. Roll Charisma + Law (difficulty 8) to make a plea eloquent enough.
For more detailed information on feats, see the Rules section in Vampire: The Masquerade rulebook pages 223-63.
Role-Playing Game Feats
To see if your character accomplishes a challenging feat, you add the dots your character has for two attributes or abilities and roll that many 10-sided dice. The GM sets the difficulty level, usually between 6-10 and you count the number of successes you roll. 10s (represented as 0s on the dice) mean you've done very well; 1s mean you've botched it. Botches cancel out successes, and if you're left with more botches than successes, something bad happens. 10s mean some additional good happened.
For example, your character sees a rusty drainpipe on the side of a building and she wants to use it to climb to the roof. This is relatively difficult given the few hand holds so the GM sets the feat at an 8 difficulty. Climbing is your character's dexterity + athletics. Your character has three dots for dexterity and three dots for athletics. 3 + 3 = 6, so you roll six dice, hoping for high numbers and not wanting low ones.
Example 1: I roll a 8, 3, 5, 10, 6, 2, so that's two successes and no botches. I made it to the top safely and, factoring in the 10, I did it in style!
Example 2: I roll a 1, 7, 5, 4, 6, 8. The botch (1) rules out the success (8) so it didn't happen; my character gets up about 10' and falls to the ground unhurt.
Example 3: I roll a 5, 9, 7, 1, 1, 7. Two botches (1s); one outweighs the single success (9), so we're left with one botch. Not only does the character not climb to the top, but she catches her wrist on a rusty screw and gets a 6" gash on her forearm for her trouble.
In this scenario, the GM probably doesn't want unlimited attempts to scale the building, so the drainpipe would break off from the building after a single try.
Read the below to get a sense for the kind of actions your character might want to perform and the traits used to determine whether you succeed.
Physical Feats
Climbing [Dexterity + Athletics]:
Driving [Dexterity/Wits + Drive]:
Encumbrance [Strength]:
Hunting [Perception]:
Intrusion [Dexterity/Perception + Security]:
Jumping [Strength or Strength + Athletics for a running jump]:
Lifting/Breaking [Strength]:
Opening/Closing [Strength]:
Pursuit [Dexterity + Athletics/Drive]:
Shadowing [Dexterity + Stealth/Drive]:
Sneaking [Dexterity + Stealth]:
Swimming [Stamina + Athletics]:
Throwing [Dexterity + Athletics]:
Mental Feats
Hacking [Intelligence/Wits + Computer]:
Investigation [Perception + Investigation]:
Repair [Dexterity/Perception + Crafts]:
Research [Intelligence + Academics/Occult/Science]:
Scavenging [Perception + Scavenge]:
Tracking [Perception + Survival]:
Social Feats
Carousing [Charisma + Empathy]:
Credibility [Manipulation/Perception + Subterfuge]:
Fast-Talk [Manipulation + Subterfuge]:
Interrogation [Manipulation + Empathy/Intimidation]:
Violent interrogation [Manipulation + Intimidation]:
Intimidation [Strength/Manipulation + Intimidation]:
Oration [Charisma + Leadership]:
Performance [Charisma + Performance]:
Seduction [Appearance + Subterfuge]:
Combat Feats
Close Combat: Use Dexterity + Brawl (unarmed) or Dexterity + Melee (armed).
Ranged Combat: Use Dexterity + Firearms (guns) or Dexterity + Athletics (thrown weapons).
Examples of Rolls
This rules system is designed with flexibility in mind, and as a result, there are about 270 combinations of Attributes andAbilities. This daunting number is just the beginning, too - you can certainly devise more Talents, Skills or Knowledges if you think there's need. In this manner, you have a huge variety of rolls to simulate actions-whatever you think is most appropriate. The following examples of rolls are meant to give you some idea of the possibilities that might come up in a game.
- You want to perform a thorough search of a building. Roll Perception + Scavenge (difficulty 7)
- You want to conduct yourself flawlessly at a formal dinner. Roll Dexterity + Etiquette (difficulty 6).
- You try to distract the bodyguard with your left hand while surreptitiously slipping your knife back into your belt with your right. Roll Dexterity + Subterfuge (difficulty of the bodyguard's Perception + Alertness).
- You lock gazes with the gang leader, trying to cow him into submission before his gang - of course, he wants to do the same to you. Make a Charisma + Intimidation roll, resisted by his Charisma + Intimidation.
- You need to board up a door in record speed - and it needs to be durable, too. Roll Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7).
- How long can you remain motionless in the bushes while the guards chat? Roll Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 7). Each success allows you to hold still for one hour.
- Can you distract the guard dogs while you slip in? Roll Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 8).
- Did she just threaten you? Roll Perception + Intimidation (difficulty 5) to figure out what she meant by that comment.
- You try to get his attention by driving your knife through his hand and into the oak bar. Roll Strength + Melee (difficulty 6).
- Does this place have a functioning security system? Roll Perception + Security (difficulty 6).
- You try convincing the clerk of the court that you're an IRS auditor and that you need to see the court records. Roll Manipulation + Finance (difficulty 8).
- You have to keep running if you're going to outdistance your pursuers. Make an extended Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7); if you collect 15 successes, you've outlasted them.
- You need to convince the judge to release you rather than confiscate your possessions. Roll Charisma + Law (difficulty 8) to make a plea eloquent enough.